Vertigo
by Tracy Diane Miller
Summary: She's getting married again. So why isn't she happy? "The Wrong Man" inspired this very short "missing scene" story.


Vertigo  
  
Summary: She's getting married again. So why isn't she happy? "The  
  
Wrong Man" inspired this very short "missing" scene story.  
  
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No  
  
copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made.  
  
Author: Tracy Diane Miller  
  
E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com  
Vertigo  
  
Her wedding ensemble consisted of a two-piece, cream colored, ivory  
  
silk suit. It wasn't ostentatious, not by the standards perhaps  
  
expected of someone in her station in life, but the outfit was  
  
classically elegant and complemented her diminutive frame quite  
  
nicely. This was her second marriage after all and she didn't want  
  
to be at the mercy of some flowing gown with yards of taffeta  
  
strangling her movement. Something about a wedding, with all eyes  
  
fixed on the bride as if she were an anointed princess journeying  
  
along some gilded path to meet her awestruck subjects, lacked charm  
  
for her. A formal wedding was tradition burdened by pomp and  
  
circumstance. She had agreed to a big ceremony the first time around  
  
because her parents wanted to impress those people in their social  
  
circle. How ironic that Dad had spared no expense for her wedding to  
  
Gary when he had so vehemently opposed of the marriage. But it had  
  
been all about keeping up with appearances. Dad was so masterful at  
  
that.  
  
Marcia carefully applied her makeup. She paused for a moment to  
  
study her reflection in the mirror. In a short while, she would  
  
become Mrs. Phillip Pritchard. This should be the happiest day of  
  
her life. Then why wasn't she happy?  
  
Marcia felt as if she had just emerged from a roller coaster ride,  
  
her head spinning and her stomach churning violently. The vertigo  
  
just wouldn't stop. Everything was happening so fast and she wasn't  
  
sure if she was ready.  
  
The last month with Phil had been wonderful. Romantic dinners, the  
  
opera, and the gifts....he was the most generous man that she had  
  
ever met. One night, he had a chef flown in from her favorite  
  
restaurant in Milan to prepare a special dinner for them at his  
  
condo. During the meal, he promised her that the world would be hers  
  
and that he'd always take care of her. He said that they would have  
  
the most incredible life together. Then he shocked her by getting  
  
down on one knee, pulling out a small velvet box, and opening it to  
  
reveal the most gorgeous sparkling platinum ring with a pear shaped  
  
diamond. "Will you marry me?" He had had simply, his voice choked  
  
with emotion. Phil had never been one to expose his emotions so his  
  
genuine display of love and vulnerability took her by surprise. She  
  
was swept away by the moment so she responded, "yes" without thought  
  
or hesitation.  
  
That was when the roller coaster ride began with a vengeance. They  
  
immediately told her parents. Mom was more reserved, kissing her on  
  
the cheek, telling her that she was happy for her, and welcoming Phil  
  
to the family. But Dad swelled with pride. His congratulations was  
  
laced with its own meaning ("I knew that you'd finally make a smart  
  
and responsible decision when you got married again. You've made me  
  
very proud). Dad also congratulated Phil and "suggested" that the  
  
wedding should take place as soon as possible. He spoke of the  
  
nuptials as if it were going to be some grand unveiling of a  
  
corporate merger of epic portions. It was Dad who had written the  
  
copy for the engagement announcement that appeared in the social  
  
pages of the Sun-Times.  
  
While her future was being mapped out, she stood there, silently  
  
observing, eerily detached from the process. All she did was smile.  
  
Here she was a prominent litigator, an attorney who had conquered  
  
the "old boy network" that was the legal profession and had  
  
established herself as a hard-hitter, and she was standing meekly by  
  
acquiescing to her daddy's desires for her wedding like some helpless  
  
little girl.  
  
But there was something else.  
  
She thought about Gary. It wasn't the first time in recent weeks  
  
that she had thought about him. She knew that she needed to see him,  
  
to tell him first. She didn't want him to read about her engagement  
  
in the paper.  
  
She needed to muster up the courage to tell him, so she waited  
  
downstairs in the lobby instead of just riding the elevator up to his  
  
room. The last time that she had seen him, his hair wet, there was  
  
just something about him that.she didn't know, just  
  
something "different" about him, something that was mysterious,  
  
dangerous, and sexy. He had an edge. He had never had that  
  
before. She wondered if he was seeing someone. Deep down, she hoped  
  
that he wasn't. It was odd, but she couldn't imagine the thought of  
  
him with another woman. And she was very hurt when he refused to have  
  
dinner with her.  
  
When she told him that she was getting married, he seemed lost and  
  
upset. She didn't want to hurt him, not anymore. She wasn't sure  
  
what she expected him to say. That he was happy for her? Maybe.  
  
Or, maybe she wanted him to say something else, to "feel" something  
  
else. She didn't know.  
  
A small part of her was relieved when Phil had called off their  
  
engagement even though she didn't want to admit that to herself. Phil  
  
was afraid of Gary and she was amused that Gary still felt so  
  
strongly about her that he didn't want her marrying another man. But  
  
she asked Gary to talk to Phil. Later, Phil didn't tell her what  
  
Gary had said, but he agreed that they should go through with their  
  
wedding as planned. She came by Gary's hotel room to thank him. He  
  
murmured a "you're welcome". Then, she kissed him lightly on the  
  
lips in gratitude. He didn't protest. Before she left, she gazed  
  
into those mud green eyes. He said nothing. But, in a way, he said  
  
so much.  
  
Sighing, Marcia picked up her purse and left the room. She couldn't  
  
be late for her own wedding.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
He placed the rose in water. A thorn had pricked his finger.  
  
Carrying the item over to the desk, he sat it down next to the model  
  
of "The Meridian". Gary gazed at his reflection in the mirror.  
  
Then, he glanced down at his hand. Without saying a word, he removed  
  
his wedding band, placed it into the desk drawer, and then closed the  
  
drawer. His hand felt naked and perhaps he waited a moment for the  
  
onslaught of powerful emotions, regret mostly, but it didn't come.  
  
What he finally felt was peace.  
  
And closure.  
  
Outside of the hotel room, Marcia stood at Gary's front door. She  
  
was ready to knock on the door, but she didn't. She had come all  
  
this way to see him, but something suddenly stopped her.  
  
With one last glance at the closed door, her eyes glazed with regret,  
  
she walked down the hallway towards the elevator. A moment later,  
  
the elevator door opened and she stepped inside.  
  
Nothing had changed.  
  
Or, maybe everything had changed.  
The End. 


End file.
